Acura is a luxury brand that considers itself a down-to-earth family car company with a lot of get-up-and-go in every car it makes. The luxury of an Acura can’t be denied: every inch of all their alphabet soup cars are premium, while at the same time being functional, especially for breeders (well, I guess we shouldn’t use that term anymore). 

The MDX has always been a flagship vehicle of sorts for the brand, and this year, it gets the ‘A-Spec’ treatment, which means there is a trim which has badging and accents and interior and exterior touches that make it stand out just a little bit more than your ordinary MDX, as if there is such a thing as an ordinary MDX.

Indeed, there’s no performance enhancements that come with the A-Spec package.  Not really (keep in mind, A-Spec is package, not a trim). It’s mostly cosmetic, and when you are LGBT, that’s a good thing, assuming it truly suits you. You’ll get, for starters, some groovy headlights that resemble a dancefloor, each having five small lights per main light that all light your path as you navigate your way in the dark.  

For some reason I did not fully grasp, there are two Hugh Jass exhaust pipes that are functional and give an impressive sound to the car, making it sound like it really is ready for a drag race. The wheels are alloy and bigger (20 inches) and the overall impression of the car is a darker hue (a midnight black and blue, really, even though the exterior color of the car I tested was Apex Blue Pearl) that even includes tinted windows that truly keep out the sun and the riff raff.   

You also get “Sport Seats with Alcantara Inserts and Contrast Stitching,” which actually look pretty sharp and feel pretty good. The seats are ventilated and you also get sport pedals.

To be clear, the A-Spec package is an accessories package, more or less, and that will cost about $3,500, but you can’t get that unless you get the Tech package, and that’s another $5,000.  The Tech package does have some nice features: Navigation w/Voice Recognition, AcuraLink Communication System (which is rather easy to use), Blind Spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert and remote engine start, to name a few. Pretty cool, right? You might still want to get a gps car tracking device though, because if you do decide to invest in this vehicle, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on and not something you would want to lose.

Now, while the A-Spec package is not a trim, it’s not really an add-on either.  You basically have to go to a dealer and ask for the 2019 Acura MDX AWD (standard on this ‘trim’) 3.5L Tech & A-Spec, and the starting price will be $54,800.  You will get a 3.5-liter V6 engine offering 290 horses (there’s more horsepower on the hybrid but you can’t get the A-Spec on the hybrid). Mileage is 19 city / 25 highway, and you can tow up to 3,500 pounds. 

To be sure, the 2019 Acura MDX AWD A-Spec w/Tech is for a niche market.

And I will leave it right there.